Sunday, March 6, 2011

1919 - The New York Yankees sell P Ray Keating (1912-1916, 1918) to Boston Braves for cash. Ray had career record of 23-40 in 108 games with the Yankees.

1965 - Former Yankees C Wally Schang (1921-1925) passed away. After being obtained from the Boston Red Sox in the Waite Hoyt trade, Wally Schang hit .316 and .319 for the New York Yankees, before being traded to the St. Louis Browns in 1926. He would be the starting catcher for the Browns for the next four seasons.

1965 - Former Yankees INF Jimmy Austin (1909-1910) passed away. On September 1, 1908, INF Jimmy Austin was drafted by the New York Highlanders from Omaha (Western League) in the 1908 MLB Rule 5 player draft. He appeared in 269 games for the Yankees, hitting .224. On February 11,1911, Jimmy was traded by the New York Highlanders along with INF/OF Frank LaPorte to the St. Louis Browns for INF Roy Hartzell and cash.

1977 - Former Yankees reserve OF Marcus Thames (2000, 2010) was born. The New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB amateur player draft drafted outfielder Marcus Thames. He appeared in 13 games with the 2000 Yankees, hitting .231. Marcus broke into the MLB by hitting a HR for the Yankees off of Arizona Diamondbacks starter Randy Johnson. On June 6, 2003, he was traded to the Texas Rangers for veteran OF/DH Ruben Rivera. In June of 2008, while Marcus Thames was playing for the Detroit Tigers, he had 8 HRs in a span of 8 hits. From 2006-2009, he had played for the Detroit Tigers. In 2010, Marcus hit .288 with 12 HRs and 33 RBIs for the Yankees as a DH/reserve outfielder. In the winter of 2010, Marcus became a MLB free agent. In January of 2011, he signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers for the 2011 NL season.

1985 - Former Yankees and Cardinals OF Enos “Country” Slaughter (1954-1955, 1956-1959) and Arky Vaughan are elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame. Enos Slaughter, known for his hustling style of play with the St. Louis Cardinals and later with the New York Yankees, gained fame for his celebrated "Mad Dash" home during the 1946 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Arky Vaughan batted .318 over a 14-year MLB career in the National League with the Pittsburg Pirates and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1986 - Current Yankees reserve C Francisco Cervelli was born. Catcher Francisco Cervelli was seriously injured in a collision at home plate during spring training 2008 in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a top Yankees prospect at that point after hitting .279 with an OBP 100 points higher for the Tampa Yankees (A) in 2007. However, the injury shortened his 2008 season to 27 games for 3 different minor league teams. Still, he showed that he remained on track for the MLB during his time with the Trenton Thunder (AA), where he put up a line of .315 in 21 games. That earned him a late-season call-up to the big leagues in September, and he went 0 for 5 in 3 games in his cup of coffee in pinstripes. The Yankees called him up early in the 2009 AL season, when regular MLB catchers Jorge Posada and Jose Molina were sidelined in turn by injuries. He appeared in 42 games for the Yankees hitting .298 with 1 HR with 11 RBI’s. He appeared in the AL playoffs in one game, but did not play in the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

1990 - Former Yankees and Hall Of Fame INF Joe Sewell (1931-1933) passed away. Joe Sewell spent most of his 14 year MLB career with the Cleveland Indians. He finished out with the New York Yankees in 1931-1933. In 1931, he hit .302 and played on the 1932 New York Yankees. His lifetime BA mark was .312. He was the toughest player to fan in MLB history, only 114 times in his 14-year MLB career. Joe Sewell was elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1977.

2005 - Suzyn Waldman becomes the 1st woman to be a full-time color commentator in MLB history, making her debut with John Sterling on WCBS-AM 880, the radio flagship of the New York Yankees. The former radio-talk host on WFAN, the 1st all-sports radio station in US, was also the 1st female to broadcast on a nationally baseball telecast as well as the 1st to provide local TV (Yankees) MLB play-by-play.

2010 - Former Yankees P Jim Roland (1972) passed away. On April 28, 1972, Jim Roland was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Oakland Athletics. He appeared in 16 games for the 1972 Yankees, posting a 0-1 record. On August 30,1972, Jim was traded by the New York Yankees to the Texas Rangers for veteran reliever Casey Cox.

March 7th

1914 - Former Yankees reserve OF Joseph “Muscles” Gallagher (1939) was born. Joe Gallagher appeared in 14 games for the Yankees, hitting .244, before being traded on June 13,1939 by the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Browns for INF Roy Hughes and cash.

1930 - Former Yankees minor league P Tom Acker was born. In 1948,Tom Acker had been signed by the New York Giants organization. He eventually came to the majors, hurling with the Cincinnati Reds from 1956-1959. Tom was traded by the Reds to the Kansa City A’s in the winter of 1959. Tom Acker spent his last season in professional baseball with the 1960 Richmond Virginians (International League), who were the New York Yankees AAA team. He appeared in 15 games for Richmond, closing out his professional baseball career with a 0-2 won-loss record with a 5.06 ERA.

1954 - Former Yankees P Mike Armstrong (1983-1986) was born. Mike Armstrong came to the New York Yankees in the trade that sent 1B Steve Balboni to the Kansas City Royals. Mike went 3-3 with the Yankees before finishing up his MLB career with the Cleveland Indians.

1962 - Former Yankees minor leaguer P Jose Cano was born. He is the father of current Yankees 2B Robinson Cano. Jose appeared in the MLB with 1989 Astros going 1-1 in 6 games. He originally signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 1980. The Yankees released Jose. In 1981, the Atlanta Braves signed Jose as a free agent. Twice the Braves released him. Then Jose Cano was signed by the Houston Astros organization. Also he pitched for years in Mexico as well as in Taiwan.

1981 - Former Yankees shortstop Paul “Pee Wee” Wanninger (1925) passed away. “Pee-Wee” Wanninger was the regular shortstop for the 1925 New York Yankees. Paul hit .236 in 117 games for the Yankees. He had replaced Everett Scott at shortstop in May 1925 to end his then-record consecutive games streak at 1,307. Less than a month later, on June 1st, he would make way for another record-long consecutive streak to start, when a Yankee rookie named Lou Gehrig pinch-hit for him. After the 1925 American League season, the Yankees traded Wanninger to St. Paul (American Association) to complete the earlier trade made for C Pat Collins. He went on to play many years for St. Paul (1926-1932) and other teams, through 1940. Also he was a manager for four seasons in the minor leagues.

1998 - The New York Yankees signed former Cuban baseball star hurler Orlando Hernandez, brother of the 1997 World Series hero Livan Hernandez, to a four-year, $6.6 million contract. “El Duque” would go on to post a 61-40 record for the Yankees (1998-2004). He was 2-0 in World Series play and 7-2 in AL post-season games for the Yankees.

2006 - Former Yankees backup catcher, now with the Boston Red Sox, John “Flash” Flaherty announces his MLB retirement, ending his 14-year MLB career with the team he started out with. He signed in December of 2005 as a MLB free agent after playing three seasons with the New York Yankees, as a reserve catcher to Jorge Posada. Also John had played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, John posted a lifetime .252 BA, 80 HRs and 395 RBIs in 1,047 games played. John will go to work as an announcer for the Yes Network.

March 8th

1893 - Former Yankees P Ray Francis (1925) was born. Ray Francis went 0-0 in 4 games for the 1925 New York Yankees. On May 5,1925, Ray was traded by the Yankees along with $9,000 to the Boston Red Sox for OF Bobby Veach and P Alex Ferguson.

1930 - The Yankees slugger OF Babe Ruth signs a two-year contract for $160,000 with the New York Yankees. At $80,000 per year, he is the highest paid MLB player of all time as of 1930.

1930 - Former Yankees P Bob Grim (1954-1958) was born. (1930-1996). In 1954, Bob Grim went 20-6 for the New York Yankees. He was named the American League Rookie Of Year. Bob had made the Yankees MLB roster in spring training, after spending two years in the U. S. Army. He won one game in the 1955 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. After injuring his pitching arm working in an off-season job, Bob became a reliever for the Yankees in 1956, posting 12 saves. In 1957, he led the American League with 18 saves. Bob was named to 1957 AL All Star team. During the 1958 AL season, he was traded along with OF Harry “Suitcase” Simpson to the Kansas City A’s for Pitchers Duke Maas and Virgil Trucks.

1938 - The New York Yankees AL All Star 1B Lou Gehrig rejects the latest player contract offer from the Yankees to a 1-year deal worth $39,000. Four days later, Lou Gehrig will agree to the same Yankees offer and end his 1938 spring training holdout.

1939- Former Yankees P and author Jim “Bull Dog” Bouton (1962-1968) was born. Jim Bouton was the winning pitcher of the 22-inning game against the Detroit Tigers in 1962. In 1963, Jim went 21–7 for the Yankees. In 1964, he posted an 18-13 record for the Yankees. He appeared in 2 World Series, (1963 and 1964), going 2-1, winning 2 games against the St. Louis Cardinals (1964); losing a 1-0, 4-hitter to the Dodgers Don Drysdale in 1963. He injured his pitching arm in 1965, he was never was effective again for the Yankees. His Yankees career pitching record was 55-51. In October of 1968, he was sold to the new American League expansion team, the Seattle Pilots. Also Jim pitched for the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in the NL. After his MLB playing career was over, he wrote the best seller “Ball Four.” Also he worked as a TV sportscaster in New York City.

1942 - Former Yankees reserve INF Bert Campaneris (1983) was born. Bert Campaneris appeared in 60 games for the 1983 Yankees, hitting .322. The former AL All Star shortstop retired from MLB at the end of the 1983 American League season. Bert had played for Kansas City and Oakland A’s, the Texas Rangers before coming to the New York Yankees in 1983.

1947 - At the new Stadium del Cerro in Havana, Cuba, the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Yankees by a score of 1-0.

1961 - Former Yankees C/DH/1B Mark Salas (1987) was born. On June 7, 1987, Mark Salas was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the New York Yankees for veteran P Joe Niekro. Mark appeared in 50 games for the Yankees, hitting .200. On November 12, 1987, Mark was traded by the Yankees along with OF/1B Dan Pasqua and P Steve Rosenberg to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Richard Dotson and Scott Nielsen.

1963 - Former Yankees P Terry Mulholland (1994) was born. On February 9, 1994,Terry was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies along with a player to be named later to the New York Yankees for P Bobby Munoz, P Ryan Karp, and INF Kevin Jordan. The Phillies would send Jeff Patterson on November 8, 1994 to the Yankees to complete the trade. Terry posted a 6-7 record in 24 games with the Yankees before the 1994 MLB strike took place. He left the Yankees for MLB free agency, signing with the San Francisco Giants.

1964 - Former Yankees P Lance McCullers (1989-1990) was born. On October 24, 1988, Lance McCullers was traded by the San Diego Padres along with OF Stan Jefferson and P Jimmy Jones to the New York Yankees for OF/1B Jack Clark and P Pat Clements. Lance posted a 5-3 record in 63 games with 3 saves for the Yankees. On June 4,1990, Lance was traded by the Yankees along with P Clay Parker to the Detroit Tigers for C/DH/1B Matt Nokes.

1966 -The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee waives one of its election rules and selects former New York Yankees and Mets Manager Casey Stengel as the newest member of the HOF. Stengel had managed the Mets for much of the 1965 NL season before falling and breaking his hip. The injury ended the elderly Stengel's MLB managing career. Given his age, the Veterans Committee decides to make him immediately eligible for the Hall Of Fame. Casey Stengel managed the New York Yankees from 1949-1960, winning 5 straight World Championships from 1949-1953. He also won World Championships in 1956 and 1958. Also he managed the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers, before joining the New York Yankees in 1949.

1974 - Former Yankees P Wayne Franklin (2005) was born. Wayne Franklin appeared in 13 games for the Yankees, posting a 0-1 record in 2005 AL Season.

1999 - Former Hall Of Fame Yankees CF Joe DiMaggio (1936-1941,1945-1951) dies of a lung cancer at age 84. Joe DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California; Joe DiMaggio arrived in the MLB at the age of 21 in 1936. The New York Yankees had purchased him from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. He batted .323 in his 1st season and helped the Yankees to the 1936 World Championship. His rookie performance served as an indicator of future success, both for him and the Yankees. During his 13-year MLB career, Joe DiMaggio participated in 10 World Series, with his team winning the World Championship 9 times. In 1941, DiMaggio achieved his most famous MLB milestone, when he compiled a record 56-game hitting streak. His lifetime Yankees BA was .326. His older brother Vince played in the National League, with the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates, while his younger brother Dom played for the Boston Red Sox.

March 9th

1875 - Former Yankees P Elmer Bliss (1903-1904) was born. Elmer Bliss went 1-0 in 1 game for the Yankees.

1908 - Former Yankees OF Myril Hoag (1931-1938) was born. Myril Hoag played in 471 games for the New York Yankees, hitting .284 with 11 HRs and 185 RBIs. He appeared in 3 World Series with the Yankees (1932,1937-1938) appearing in 8 games, hitting .320. On October 26,1938, Myril was traded by the Yankees along with C Joe Glenn to the St. Louis Browns for P Oral Hildebrand and OF Buster Mills. In 1939, he was named to the AL All Star team as a member of the St. Louis Browns. From 1946-1951, Myril was a minor league player-manager.

1927 - Former Yankees OF Jackie Jensen (1950-1952) was born (1927-1982). Jackie Jensen was a former All American college football player. In the fall of 1949, the New York Yankees purchased him from Oakland Oaks (Pacific Coast League). Jackie appeared in 108 games with the New York Yankees, hitting .265 with 9 HRs and 32 RBIs. He was traded in 1952 to the Washington Senators in the Irv Noren trade. Later he played with the Boston Red Sox, being named the 1958 American League Most Valuable Player. Jackie appeared in over 1,400 MLB games and finished with a lifetime BA .279. He stopped playing MLB because of his fear of flying. In 1982, Jackie died from a heart attack at the age of 55. He remains the only man to play in the Rose Bowl, East-West Shrine Game, the World Series (1950), and baseball's All-Star game.

1959 - Former Yankees Coach Brian Butterfield was born. Brian Butterfield is the son of Jack Butterfield, the former vice-president of player development and scouting for the New York Yankees. The younger Butterfield was a 2B in the Yankees minor league system (1980-1983) before joining the Yankees as a roving infield instructor in 1984. In 1999-2000, he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He rejoined the Yankees organization in 2001. He became a minor league manager, helming the Bronx Bombers' Florida State League affiliate as well as the Columbus Clippers, the team's Triple-A club in the International League. Jack was fired as manager of the Columbus Clippers in May of 2002. Later he joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

1966 - Former Yankees 3B Aaron “Home Run” Boone (2003) was born. He is the grandson of former MLB player Ray Boone and son of MLB Catcher/Manager Bob Boone. His brother was All Star 2B Bret Boone. Aaron hit one of the most famous American League Yankee playoff-HR’s to beat the Boston Red Sox in 2003. He later injured his leg playing basketball during the off-season and was released by the Yankees. His injury led to the A-Rod trade with the Texas Rangers by the New York Yankees. Aaron recently retired from MLB. He had spent the 2009 MLB season on the Disable List dealing with heart problems, while as a member of the Houston Astros. In February of 2010, Aaron Boone announced his retirement from MLB. He is now working for ESPN.

1966- Former Yankees All Star C Aaron Robinson (1946-1947) died (1915-1966). Called up from the Newark Bears (AAA), Aaron Robinson appeared in one game for the 1943 New York Yankees. He was 28 years old. He would join the US Coast Guard in June of 1943, serving until July of 1945. Aaron appeared in 50 games for the 1945 Yankees, hitting .281. In 1946, he appeared in 100 games for the Yankees hitting .297 with 19 HRs with 64 RBIs. He made the 1947 AL All Star team, while hitting .270 for the Yankees. He appeared in 3 games of the 1947 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. With the arrival of a 22-year old Yogi Berra as a catcher in 1947, Aaron became expendable. On February 24,1948, Aaron Robinson was traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for starter Eddie Lopat. He would spend one season with the White Sox, before being traded to the Detroit Tigers for P Billy Pierce. He would finish out his MLB career in 1951, playing for the Boston Red Sox.

1973 - Former Yankees P C. J. Nitkowski (2004) was born. C.J. Nitkowski was a graduate of St. Johns University, who was drafted in 1994 by the Cincinnati Reds. On July 19,2004, he was signed as a MLB free agent by the New York Yankees. He appeared in 19 games for the 2004 Yankees, posting a 1-1 record. On October 29,2004, he was granted MLB free agency by the Yankees. After leaving the MLB in 2005, he has pitched in Japan and Korea professional baseball leagues.

1996 - Former Yankees P Jim Hardin (1971) died. Jim was recovering from arm injuries, when he joined the New York Yankees in 1971. He never was an effective pitcher for the Yankees, like he was with the Baltimore Orioles during the mid-1960’s.

March 10th

1880 - Former Yankees OF Danny Hoffman (1906-1907) was born. On April 29, 1906, Danny Hoffman was traded by the Philadelphia A’s to the New York Yankees for OF Dave Fultz. He hit .254 in 236 games for the Yankees. On November 5,1907, he was traded by the Yankees along with Hobe Ferris and INF Jimmy Williams to the St. Louis Browns for P Fred Glade, OF Charlie Hemphill, and INF Harry Niles.

1958 - Former Yankees P Steve Howe (1991-1996) was born (1958-2006). Steve went 12-6 with 31 saves as a Yankees relief pitcher from 1991-1996. Steve Howe passed away in 2006 from injuries in a truck accident.

1977 - Former Yankees minor league catcher Ben Davis was born. The New York Yankees signed catcher Ben Davis as MLB free agent. He played at Scranton (International League) during the 2006-2007 baseball seasons, before becoming a free agent. He was recovering from elbow problems when he was with the Yankees organization.

1985 - Former MLB player and Yankees MLB Scout Bob Neiman passed away. Outfielder Bob Neiman was MLB player for 12 seasons. He scouted for the New York Yankees from 1977-1984. Also he was a MLB scout for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland A’s and the Dodgers before joining the Yankees organization in 1977.

1994 - Former Yankees P Jim Brenneman (1965) passed away. Before the 1961 American League Season, the New York Yankees signed Jim Brenneman as an MLB amateur free agent. He appeared in 3 games with the 1965 Yankees with no record.

2005 - Former Yankees 1B/OF Kent Hadley (1960) passed away (1934-2005). Kent Hadley was part of the December 1959 player trade that the New York Yankees received OF Roger Maris from the Kansas City A’s. In 1956, the Detroit Tigers signed Kent, but he never appears with them at the MLB level. He had played college baseball at USC. He was traded to the Kansas City A’s. In 1959, he was the A’s regular first baseman hitting .253. With the 1960 Yankees, he was a reserve 1B for Bill Skowron, appearing only in 55 games, just hitting .203. The Yankees had acquired him in the Roger Maris trade, because Bill Skowron had broken his arm during the 1959 AL season. Leaving the Yankees organization, Hadley played for the San Diego Padres (Pacific Coast League) in 1961. Then he went to Japan in 1962. Hadley became the first foreigner to homer in his first at-bat in Japan. Kent enjoyed success-playing professional baseball in Japan, becoming one of the 1st American players to hit a 100 HRs in Japan.

2009 - Former Yankees minor league OF/P Joe Pactwa passed away. On June 7, 1966, Joe was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 18th round of the 1966 MLB amateur player draft. Joe never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. Joe Pactwa hit 25 HRs in the 1970 Eastern League, tying for 4th in the circuit. Remaining at AA for the 1971 season, he hit 20 more HRs for the Charlotte Hornets, 5th in the Southern League. In 1973, Pactwa began pitching in addition to playing the outfield. He hit .378 for the West Haven Yankees. Joe went 12-6 on the mound with a 3.18 ERA. He was part of a 5-way tie for the Eastern League lead in victories, along with Kent Tekulve, Pat Zachary, Scott McGregor and Erskine Thomason. He led the Eastern League in ERA. Joe Pactwa was a full-time pitcher in 1974 for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA), but he went just 4-9 with a 4.41 ERA. On December 3,1974, Joe was purchased by Tampico (Mexican League) from the Yankees. At the end of the 1975 Mexican League season, Joe received a brief tryout as a pitcher with the California Angels. He pitched in four games, three of them starts, winning one with a 3.86 ERA; however, his K/W ratio was a very poor 3/10 in 16⅓ innings. Joe would return to play in Mexico League from 1976-1982.

March 11th

1870 - Former Yankees OF Herman McFarland (1903) was born. Herman McFarland appeared in 103 games for the 1903 Yankees, hitting .243.

1945 - Former Yankees P Dock Ellis (1976-1977) was born (1945-2008). On December 11, 1975, Doc was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates along with P Ken Brett and 2B Willie Randolph to the New York Yankees for P George “Doc” Medich. Dock went 18-9 in 35 games, before being traded to the Oakland A’s in the Mike Torrez trade. Dock Ellis passed away in December of 2008.

1956 - At Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, there are no maybe’s about it, as Mickey Mantle hits a Grapefruit League pitch from Cardinals hurler Larry Jackson over the LF wall into the bay. The New York Yankees top the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 4-3. Stan Musial contends, "no HR has ever cleared my head by as much as long as I can remember." Mantle will hit another HR at Al Lang Field on March 20th off of P Bob Mave that also lands in the water. He will clock a 500-FT HR shot in Miami, four days later against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1960 - AL All Star CF Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees signs a one-year MLB player contract worth $65,000. The new deal is a $7,000 cut in pay for Mickey Mantle, who batted .285, 31 HRs and 75 RBIs for the 3rd place New York Yankees in 1959.

1981 - Former New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Johnny Mize (1949-1953) and Negro League‘s pioneer Rube Foster are voted to the Hall Of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Johnny Mize hit .312 with 359 HRs during a 15-year MLB career, with St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Yankees. While Rube Foster served as a pitcher, manager, and Negro League organizer in the 1st quarter of the 20th century.

1990 - Former Yankees reserve INF Ray Shalk (1932) passed away. Ray Shalk appeared in 3 games for the 1932 Yankees, hitting .250. Later he became a minor league manager.

2001 - The New York Yankees formally announced the signing of Cuban defector 3B Andy Morales, to a four-year contract. Morales will wash out and be waived from his minor league team by July. The New York Yankees will try and sidestep his player contract with proof that his listed age of 26 years is really 29.

2002 -The New York Yankees released OF Ruben Rivera for stealing Derek Jeter's mitt out of his Yankee clubhouse locker, and selling it on the black market for $2,500. There are rumors that Rivera also took other memorabilia items, such as items belonging to Roger Clemens, but Clemens denies it. Ruben Rivera had been signed to a one-year contract for $1 million dollars. He was trying to make the team as extra outfielder.

March 12th

1903 - New York Highlanders, later to be called the Yankees, are officially approved to join the American League.

1937 - Former Yankees 1B Ray ” Buddy” Barker (1965-1967) was born. On May 10, 1965, Buddy Barker was traded by the Cleveland Indians to the New York Yankees for reserve INF Pedro Gonzalez. Buddy hit .172 in 176 games, before being sent to the Baltimore Orioles in the Steve Barber trade during the 1967 American League season.

1939 - Former Yankees DH/Outfielder Johnny Callison (1972-1973) was born (1939-2006). The New York Yankees acquired veteran MLB outfielder Johnny Callison from the Chicago Cubs for cash. He hit .258 in 72 games in 1972. In 1973, he hit only .176 in 45 games before being released by the team. In 1964, Johnny hit the game hitting homerun at the 1964 All Star game at Shea Stadium for the National League squad. He was a member of the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies.

1943 - Former Yankees DH/OF Jim “Toy Canon” Wynn (1977) was born. The former National League slugger, Jim Wynn hit .143 in 30 games for the 1977 Yankees, before being released by the team.

1954 - Current Yankees MLB Pitching Coach and former MLB Manager (1998-2001) Larry Rothschild was born. Larry Rothschild pitched in the minors for 11 seasons. He made 7 MLB appearances with the Detroit Tigers in 1981 and 1982. All of his appearances occurred in September call-ups. In 1981, 4 of the 5 games that he appeared in were against the Cleveland Indians. After his playing career ended, he was a roving instructor for the Cincinnati Reds (1986-1989) before becoming the Reds MLB Bullpen coach for 2 years (1990-1991) and then MLB pitching coach for another two seasons (1992-1993). After spending the 1994 season as a minor league roving pitching instructor for the Atlanta Braves, Larry was back in the MLB, as a pitching coach for the Florida Marlins from 1995-1997. He became the 1st manager of the AL expansion team Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998 and remained with the club until 2001. In 2002, he became the Chicago Cubs pitching coach and stayed there through the 2010 season. In 2011, Larry Rothschild took over as MLB pitching coach for the New York Yankees.

1955 - Former Yankees OF Ruppert Jones (1981) was born. After being obtained from the Seattle Mariners, Ruppert Jones played in 83 games for the New York Yankees, just hitting .223, before being sent to the San Diego Padres for OF Jerry Mumphrey.

1962 - Former Yankees OF/DH Darryl Strawberry (1995-1999) was born. Darryl Strawberry hit .243 with 41 HRs and 114 RBIs in 242 games for the New York Yankees.

1971 - Former Yankees OF Raul Mondesi (2002-2003) was born. On July 1, 2002, Raul Mondesi was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Yankees for minor league player Scott Wiggins. Raul hit .249 in 169 games for the team before being traded. On July 29,2003, Raul was traded by the Yankees along with cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF David Dellucci, P Bret Prinz, and minor league player John Prowl.

1971 - Former Yankees minor league P Greg Hansell was born. On March 24, 2003, Greg Hansell was signed as a MLB free agent by the Yankees. Greg spent the 2003 baseball season at Columbus (AAA). On October 15, 2003, the Yankees granted him MLB free agency.

1974 - Former Yankees P Craig Dingman (2000) was born. On June 3, 1993, Craig Dingman was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round of the 1993 MLB amateur player draft. Craig appeared in 10 games with no record for the 2000 Yankees. On March 30,2001, Craig was traded by the Yankees to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later. The Rockies sent P Jorge De Paula on April 20, 2001 to the Yankees to complete the trade. On June 6,2002, Craig was sent to the Yankees by the Cincinnati Reds, as part of a conditional deal. Craig does not appear with the 2002 Yankees at the MBL level, he becomes a MLB free agent.

1974 - Former Yankees reserve INF Felix Escalona (2004-2005) was born. Felix Escalona appeared in 15 games for the Yankees, hitting just .182.

1974 - Former Yankees RF Bobby Abreu (2006-2008) was born. On July 30, 2006, Bobby Abreu was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies along with P Cory Lidle to the New York Yankees for P Matt Smith, and minor league players INF C. J. Henry, Carlos Monastrios, and Jesus Sanchez. Bobby hit .303 in 372 games for the Yankees, before leaving the team for free agency during the winter of 2008. The California Angels signed him for the 2009 AL season.

1978 - Former Yankees reserve OF Kevin Reese (2005-2006) was born. On December 18,2001, Kevin Reese was traded by the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees for INF Bernie Castro. He appeared in 12 games for the Yankees hitting .385, before being released by the team in 2007.

1978 - Former Yankees OF Gene Moore (1942) passed away. On February 5, 1942, the Boston Braves sent OF Gene Moore to the New York Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on December 9,1941. On December 9,1941, the Boston Braves sent players to be named later to the New York Yankees for minor league OF Tommy Holmes. On February 24,1942, Gene Moore was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the New York Yankees.

1919 - The New York Yankees sell P Ray Keating (1912-1916, 1918) to Boston Braves for cash. Ray had career record of 23-40 in 108 games with the Yankees.

1965 - Former Yankees C Wally Schang (1921-1925) passed away. After being obtained from the Boston Red Sox in the Waite Hoyt trade, Wally Schang hit .316 and .319 for the New York Yankees, before being traded to the St. Louis Browns in 1926. He would be the starting catcher for the Browns for the next four seasons.

1965 - Former Yankees INF Jimmy Austin (1909-1910) passed away. On September 1, 1908, INF Jimmy Austin was drafted by the New York Highlanders from Omaha (Western League) in the 1908 MLB Rule 5 player draft. He appeared in 269 games for the Yankees, hitting .224. On February 11,1911, Jimmy was traded by the New York Highlanders along with INF/OF Frank LaPorte to the St. Louis Browns for INF Roy Hartzell and cash.

1977 - Former Yankees reserve OF Marcus Thames (2000, 2010) was born. The New York Yankees in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB amateur player draft drafted outfielder Marcus Thames. He appeared in 13 games with the 2000 Yankees, hitting .231. Marcus broke into the MLB by hitting a HR for the Yankees off of Arizona Diamondbacks starter Randy Johnson. On June 6, 2003, he was traded to the Texas Rangers for veteran OF/DH Ruben Rivera. In June of 2008, while Marcus Thames was playing for the Detroit Tigers, he had 8 HRs in a span of 8 hits. From 2006-2009, he had played for the Detroit Tigers. In 2010, Marcus hit .288 with 12 HRs and 33 RBIs for the Yankees as a DH/reserve outfielder. In the winter of 2010, Marcus became a MLB free agent. In January of 2011, he signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers for the 2011 NL season.

1985 - Former Yankees and Cardinals OF Enos “Country” Slaughter (1954-1955, 1956-1959) and Arky Vaughan are elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame. Enos Slaughter, known for his hustling style of play with the St. Louis Cardinals and later with the New York Yankees, gained fame for his celebrated "Mad Dash" home during the 1946 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. Arky Vaughan batted .318 over a 14-year MLB career in the National League with the Pittsburg Pirates and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1986 - Current Yankees reserve C Francisco Cervelli was born. Catcher Francisco Cervelli was seriously injured in a collision at home plate during spring training 2008 in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was a top Yankees prospect at that point after hitting .279 with an OBP 100 points higher for the Tampa Yankees (A) in 2007. However, the injury shortened his 2008 season to 27 games for 3 different minor league teams. Still, he showed that he remained on track for the MLB during his time with the Trenton Thunder (AA), where he put up a line of .315 in 21 games. That earned him a late-season call-up to the big leagues in September, and he went 0 for 5 in 3 games in his cup of coffee in pinstripes. The Yankees called him up early in the 2009 AL season, when regular MLB catchers Jorge Posada and Jose Molina were sidelined in turn by injuries. He appeared in 42 games for the Yankees hitting .298 with 1 HR with 11 RBI’s. He appeared in the AL playoffs in one game, but did not play in the 2009 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

1990 - Former Yankees and Hall Of Fame INF Joe Sewell (1931-1933) passed away. Joe Sewell spent most of his 14 year MLB career with the Cleveland Indians. He finished out with the New York Yankees in 1931-1933. In 1931, he hit .302 and played on the 1932 New York Yankees. His lifetime BA mark was .312. He was the toughest player to fan in MLB history, only 114 times in his 14-year MLB career. Joe Sewell was elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1977.

2005 - Suzyn Waldman becomes the 1st woman to be a full-time color commentator in MLB history, making her debut with John Sterling on WCBS-AM 880, the radio flagship of the New York Yankees. The former radio-talk host on WFAN, the 1st all-sports radio station in US, was also the 1st female to broadcast on a nationally baseball telecast as well as the 1st to provide local TV (Yankees) MLB play-by-play.

2010 - Former Yankees P Jim Roland (1972) passed away. On April 28, 1972, Jim Roland was purchased by the New York Yankees from the Oakland Athletics. He appeared in 16 games for the 1972 Yankees, posting a 0-1 record. On August 30,1972, Jim was traded by the New York Yankees to the Texas Rangers for veteran reliever Casey Cox.

March 7th

1914 - Former Yankees reserve OF Joseph “Muscles” Gallagher (1939) was born. Joe Gallagher appeared in 14 games for the Yankees, hitting .244, before being traded on June 13,1939 by the New York Yankees to the St. Louis Browns for INF Roy Hughes and cash.

1930 - Former Yankees minor league P Tom Acker was born. In 1948,Tom Acker had been signed by the New York Giants organization. He eventually came to the majors, hurling with the Cincinnati Reds from 1956-1959. Tom was traded by the Reds to the Kansa City A’s in the winter of 1959. Tom Acker spent his last season in professional baseball with the 1960 Richmond Virginians (International League), who were the New York Yankees AAA team. He appeared in 15 games for Richmond, closing out his professional baseball career with a 0-2 won-loss record with a 5.06 ERA.

1954 - Former Yankees P Mike Armstrong (1983-1986) was born. Mike Armstrong came to the New York Yankees in the trade that sent 1B Steve Balboni to the Kansas City Royals. Mike went 3-3 with the Yankees before finishing up his MLB career with the Cleveland Indians.

1962 - Former Yankees minor leaguer P Jose Cano was born. He is the father of current Yankees 2B Robinson Cano. Jose appeared in the MLB with 1989 Astros going 1-1 in 6 games. He originally signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 1980. The Yankees released Jose. In 1981, the Atlanta Braves signed Jose as a free agent. Twice the Braves released him. Then Jose Cano was signed by the Houston Astros organization. Also he pitched for years in Mexico as well as in Taiwan.

1981 - Former Yankees shortstop Paul “Pee Wee” Wanninger (1925) passed away. “Pee-Wee” Wanninger was the regular shortstop for the 1925 New York Yankees. Paul hit .236 in 117 games for the Yankees. He had replaced Everett Scott at shortstop in May 1925 to end his then-record consecutive games streak at 1,307. Less than a month later, on June 1st, he would make way for another record-long consecutive streak to start, when a Yankee rookie named Lou Gehrig pinch-hit for him. After the 1925 American League season, the Yankees traded Wanninger to St. Paul (American Association) to complete the earlier trade made for C Pat Collins. He went on to play many years for St. Paul (1926-1932) and other teams, through 1940. Also he was a manager for four seasons in the minor leagues.

1998 - The New York Yankees signed former Cuban baseball star hurler Orlando Hernandez, brother of the 1997 World Series hero Livan Hernandez, to a four-year, $6.6 million contract. “El Duque” would go on to post a 61-40 record for the Yankees (1998-2004). He was 2-0 in World Series play and 7-2 in AL post-season games for the Yankees.

2006 - Former Yankees backup catcher, now with the Boston Red Sox, John “Flash” Flaherty announces his MLB retirement, ending his 14-year MLB career with the team he started out with. He signed in December of 2005 as a MLB free agent after playing three seasons with the New York Yankees, as a reserve catcher to Jorge Posada. Also John had played for the Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, John posted a lifetime .252 BA, 80 HRs and 395 RBIs in 1,047 games played. John will go to work as an announcer for the Yes Network.

March 8th

1893 - Former Yankees P Ray Francis (1925) was born. Ray Francis went 0-0 in 4 games for the 1925 New York Yankees. On May 5,1925, Ray was traded by the Yankees along with $9,000 to the Boston Red Sox for OF Bobby Veach and P Alex Ferguson.

1930 - The Yankees slugger OF Babe Ruth signs a two-year contract for $160,000 with the New York Yankees. At $80,000 per year, he is the highest paid MLB player of all time as of 1930.

1930 - Former Yankees P Bob Grim (1954-1958) was born. (1930-1996). In 1954, Bob Grim went 20-6 for the New York Yankees. He was named the American League Rookie Of Year. Bob had made the Yankees MLB roster in spring training, after spending two years in the U. S. Army. He won one game in the 1955 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. After injuring his pitching arm working in an off-season job, Bob became a reliever for the Yankees in 1956, posting 12 saves. In 1957, he led the American League with 18 saves. Bob was named to 1957 AL All Star team. During the 1958 AL season, he was traded along with OF Harry “Suitcase” Simpson to the Kansas City A’s for Pitchers Duke Maas and Virgil Trucks.

1938 - The New York Yankees AL All Star 1B Lou Gehrig rejects the latest player contract offer from the Yankees to a 1-year deal worth $39,000. Four days later, Lou Gehrig will agree to the same Yankees offer and end his 1938 spring training holdout.

1939- Former Yankees P and author Jim “Bull Dog” Bouton (1962-1968) was born. Jim Bouton was the winning pitcher of the 22-inning game against the Detroit Tigers in 1962. In 1963, Jim went 21–7 for the Yankees. In 1964, he posted an 18-13 record for the Yankees. He appeared in 2 World Series, (1963 and 1964), going 2-1, winning 2 games against the St. Louis Cardinals (1964); losing a 1-0, 4-hitter to the Dodgers Don Drysdale in 1963. He injured his pitching arm in 1965, he was never was effective again for the Yankees. His Yankees career pitching record was 55-51. In October of 1968, he was sold to the new American League expansion team, the Seattle Pilots. Also Jim pitched for the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in the NL. After his MLB playing career was over, he wrote the best seller “Ball Four.” Also he worked as a TV sportscaster in New York City.

1942 - Former Yankees reserve INF Bert Campaneris (1983) was born. Bert Campaneris appeared in 60 games for the 1983 Yankees, hitting .322. The former AL All Star shortstop retired from MLB at the end of the 1983 American League season. Bert had played for Kansas City and Oakland A’s, the Texas Rangers before coming to the New York Yankees in 1983.

1947 - At the new Stadium del Cerro in Havana, Cuba, the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Yankees by a score of 1-0.

1961 - Former Yankees C/DH/1B Mark Salas (1987) was born. On June 7, 1987, Mark Salas was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the New York Yankees for veteran P Joe Niekro. Mark appeared in 50 games for the Yankees, hitting .200. On November 12, 1987, Mark was traded by the Yankees along with OF/1B Dan Pasqua and P Steve Rosenberg to the Chicago White Sox for pitchers Richard Dotson and Scott Nielsen.

1963 - Former Yankees P Terry Mulholland (1994) was born. On February 9, 1994,Terry was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies along with a player to be named later to the New York Yankees for P Bobby Munoz, P Ryan Karp, and INF Kevin Jordan. The Phillies would send Jeff Patterson on November 8, 1994 to the Yankees to complete the trade. Terry posted a 6-7 record in 24 games with the Yankees before the 1994 MLB strike took place. He left the Yankees for MLB free agency, signing with the San Francisco Giants.

1964 - Former Yankees P Lance McCullers (1989-1990) was born. On October 24, 1988, Lance McCullers was traded by the San Diego Padres along with OF Stan Jefferson and P Jimmy Jones to the New York Yankees for OF/1B Jack Clark and P Pat Clements. Lance posted a 5-3 record in 63 games with 3 saves for the Yankees. On June 4,1990, Lance was traded by the Yankees along with P Clay Parker to the Detroit Tigers for C/DH/1B Matt Nokes.

1966 -The Hall of Fame Special Veterans Committee waives one of its election rules and selects former New York Yankees and Mets Manager Casey Stengel as the newest member of the HOF. Stengel had managed the Mets for much of the 1965 NL season before falling and breaking his hip. The injury ended the elderly Stengel's MLB managing career. Given his age, the Veterans Committee decides to make him immediately eligible for the Hall Of Fame. Casey Stengel managed the New York Yankees from 1949-1960, winning 5 straight World Championships from 1949-1953. He also won World Championships in 1956 and 1958. Also he managed the Boston Braves and Brooklyn Dodgers, before joining the New York Yankees in 1949.

1974 - Former Yankees P Wayne Franklin (2005) was born. Wayne Franklin appeared in 13 games for the Yankees, posting a 0-1 record in 2005 AL Season.

1999 - Former Hall Of Fame Yankees CF Joe DiMaggio (1936-1941,1945-1951) dies of a lung cancer at age 84. Joe DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California; Joe DiMaggio arrived in the MLB at the age of 21 in 1936. The New York Yankees had purchased him from the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League. He batted .323 in his 1st season and helped the Yankees to the 1936 World Championship. His rookie performance served as an indicator of future success, both for him and the Yankees. During his 13-year MLB career, Joe DiMaggio participated in 10 World Series, with his team winning the World Championship 9 times. In 1941, DiMaggio achieved his most famous MLB milestone, when he compiled a record 56-game hitting streak. His lifetime Yankees BA was .326. His older brother Vince played in the National League, with the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates, while his younger brother Dom played for the Boston Red Sox.

March 9th

1875 - Former Yankees P Elmer Bliss (1903-1904) was born. Elmer Bliss went 1-0 in 1 game for the Yankees.

1908 - Former Yankees OF Myril Hoag (1931-1938) was born. Myril Hoag played in 471 games for the New York Yankees, hitting .284 with 11 HRs and 185 RBIs. He appeared in 3 World Series with the Yankees (1932,1937-1938) appearing in 8 games, hitting .320. On October 26,1938, Myril was traded by the Yankees along with C Joe Glenn to the St. Louis Browns for P Oral Hildebrand and OF Buster Mills. In 1939, he was named to the AL All Star team as a member of the St. Louis Browns. From 1946-1951, Myril was a minor league player-manager.

1927 - Former Yankees OF Jackie Jensen (1950-1952) was born (1927-1982). Jackie Jensen was a former All American college football player. In the fall of 1949, the New York Yankees purchased him from Oakland Oaks (Pacific Coast League). Jackie appeared in 108 games with the New York Yankees, hitting .265 with 9 HRs and 32 RBIs. He was traded in 1952 to the Washington Senators in the Irv Noren trade. Later he played with the Boston Red Sox, being named the 1958 American League Most Valuable Player. Jackie appeared in over 1,400 MLB games and finished with a lifetime BA .279. He stopped playing MLB because of his fear of flying. In 1982, Jackie died from a heart attack at the age of 55. He remains the only man to play in the Rose Bowl, East-West Shrine Game, the World Series (1950), and baseball's All-Star game.

1959 - Former Yankees Coach Brian Butterfield was born. Brian Butterfield is the son of Jack Butterfield, the former vice-president of player development and scouting for the New York Yankees. The younger Butterfield was a 2B in the Yankees minor league system (1980-1983) before joining the Yankees as a roving infield instructor in 1984. In 1999-2000, he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He rejoined the Yankees organization in 2001. He became a minor league manager, helming the Bronx Bombers' Florida State League affiliate as well as the Columbus Clippers, the team's Triple-A club in the International League. Jack was fired as manager of the Columbus Clippers in May of 2002. Later he joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

1966 - Former Yankees 3B Aaron “Home Run” Boone (2003) was born. He is the grandson of former MLB player Ray Boone and son of MLB Catcher/Manager Bob Boone. His brother was All Star 2B Bret Boone. Aaron hit one of the most famous American League Yankee playoff-HR’s to beat the Boston Red Sox in 2003. He later injured his leg playing basketball during the off-season and was released by the Yankees. His injury led to the A-Rod trade with the Texas Rangers by the New York Yankees. Aaron recently retired from MLB. He had spent the 2009 MLB season on the Disable List dealing with heart problems, while as a member of the Houston Astros. In February of 2010, Aaron Boone announced his retirement from MLB. He is now working for ESPN.

1966- Former Yankees All Star C Aaron Robinson (1946-1947) died (1915-1966). Called up from the Newark Bears (AAA), Aaron Robinson appeared in one game for the 1943 New York Yankees. He was 28 years old. He would join the US Coast Guard in June of 1943, serving until July of 1945. Aaron appeared in 50 games for the 1945 Yankees, hitting .281. In 1946, he appeared in 100 games for the Yankees hitting .297 with 19 HRs with 64 RBIs. He made the 1947 AL All Star team, while hitting .270 for the Yankees. He appeared in 3 games of the 1947 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. With the arrival of a 22-year old Yogi Berra as a catcher in 1947, Aaron became expendable. On February 24,1948, Aaron Robinson was traded by the Yankees to the Chicago White Sox for starter Eddie Lopat. He would spend one season with the White Sox, before being traded to the Detroit Tigers for P Billy Pierce. He would finish out his MLB career in 1951, playing for the Boston Red Sox.

1973 - Former Yankees P C. J. Nitkowski (2004) was born. C.J. Nitkowski was a graduate of St. Johns University, who was drafted in 1994 by the Cincinnati Reds. On July 19,2004, he was signed as a MLB free agent by the New York Yankees. He appeared in 19 games for the 2004 Yankees, posting a 1-1 record. On October 29,2004, he was granted MLB free agency by the Yankees. After leaving the MLB in 2005, he has pitched in Japan and Korea professional baseball leagues.

1996 - Former Yankees P Jim Hardin (1971) died. Jim was recovering from arm injuries, when he joined the New York Yankees in 1971. He never was an effective pitcher for the Yankees, like he was with the Baltimore Orioles during the mid-1960’s.

March 10th

1880 - Former Yankees OF Danny Hoffman (1906-1907) was born. On April 29, 1906, Danny Hoffman was traded by the Philadelphia A’s to the New York Yankees for OF Dave Fultz. He hit .254 in 236 games for the Yankees. On November 5,1907, he was traded by the Yankees along with Hobe Ferris and INF Jimmy Williams to the St. Louis Browns for P Fred Glade, OF Charlie Hemphill, and INF Harry Niles.

1958 - Former Yankees P Steve Howe (1991-1996) was born (1958-2006). Steve went 12-6 with 31 saves as a Yankees relief pitcher from 1991-1996. Steve Howe passed away in 2006 from injuries in a truck accident.

1977 - Former Yankees minor league catcher Ben Davis was born. The New York Yankees signed catcher Ben Davis as MLB free agent. He played at Scranton (International League) during the 2006-2007 baseball seasons, before becoming a free agent. He was recovering from elbow problems when he was with the Yankees organization.

1985 - Former MLB player and Yankees MLB Scout Bob Neiman passed away. Outfielder Bob Neiman was MLB player for 12 seasons. He scouted for the New York Yankees from 1977-1984. Also he was a MLB scout for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland A’s and the Dodgers before joining the Yankees organization in 1977.

1994 - Former Yankees P Jim Brenneman (1965) passed away. Before the 1961 American League Season, the New York Yankees signed Jim Brenneman as an MLB amateur free agent. He appeared in 3 games with the 1965 Yankees with no record.

2005 - Former Yankees 1B/OF Kent Hadley (1960) passed away (1934-2005). Kent Hadley was part of the December 1959 player trade that the New York Yankees received OF Roger Maris from the Kansas City A’s. In 1956, the Detroit Tigers signed Kent, but he never appears with them at the MLB level. He had played college baseball at USC. He was traded to the Kansas City A’s. In 1959, he was the A’s regular first baseman hitting .253. With the 1960 Yankees, he was a reserve 1B for Bill Skowron, appearing only in 55 games, just hitting .203. The Yankees had acquired him in the Roger Maris trade, because Bill Skowron had broken his arm during the 1959 AL season. Leaving the Yankees organization, Hadley played for the San Diego Padres (Pacific Coast League) in 1961. Then he went to Japan in 1962. Hadley became the first foreigner to homer in his first at-bat in Japan. Kent enjoyed success-playing professional baseball in Japan, becoming one of the 1st American players to hit a 100 HRs in Japan.

2009 - Former Yankees minor league OF/P Joe Pactwa passed away. On June 7, 1966, Joe was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 18th round of the 1966 MLB amateur player draft. Joe never appeared with the Yankees at the MLB level. Joe Pactwa hit 25 HRs in the 1970 Eastern League, tying for 4th in the circuit. Remaining at AA for the 1971 season, he hit 20 more HRs for the Charlotte Hornets, 5th in the Southern League. In 1973, Pactwa began pitching in addition to playing the outfield. He hit .378 for the West Haven Yankees. Joe went 12-6 on the mound with a 3.18 ERA. He was part of a 5-way tie for the Eastern League lead in victories, along with Kent Tekulve, Pat Zachary, Scott McGregor and Erskine Thomason. He led the Eastern League in ERA. Joe Pactwa was a full-time pitcher in 1974 for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA), but he went just 4-9 with a 4.41 ERA. On December 3,1974, Joe was purchased by Tampico (Mexican League) from the Yankees. At the end of the 1975 Mexican League season, Joe received a brief tryout as a pitcher with the California Angels. He pitched in four games, three of them starts, winning one with a 3.86 ERA; however, his K/W ratio was a very poor 3/10 in 16⅓ innings. Joe would return to play in Mexico League from 1976-1982.

March 11th

1870 - Former Yankees OF Herman McFarland (1903) was born. Herman McFarland appeared in 103 games for the 1903 Yankees, hitting .243.

1945 - Former Yankees P Dock Ellis (1976-1977) was born (1945-2008). On December 11, 1975, Doc was traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates along with P Ken Brett and 2B Willie Randolph to the New York Yankees for P George “Doc” Medich. Dock went 18-9 in 35 games, before being traded to the Oakland A’s in the Mike Torrez trade. Dock Ellis passed away in December of 2008.

1956 - At Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, there are no maybe’s about it, as Mickey Mantle hits a Grapefruit League pitch from Cardinals hurler Larry Jackson over the LF wall into the bay. The New York Yankees top the St. Louis Cardinals by the score of 4-3. Stan Musial contends, "no HR has ever cleared my head by as much as long as I can remember." Mantle will hit another HR at Al Lang Field on March 20th off of P Bob Mave that also lands in the water. He will clock a 500-FT HR shot in Miami, four days later against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1960 - AL All Star CF Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees signs a one-year MLB player contract worth $65,000. The new deal is a $7,000 cut in pay for Mickey Mantle, who batted .285, 31 HRs and 75 RBIs for the 3rd place New York Yankees in 1959.

1981 - Former New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Johnny Mize (1949-1953) and Negro League‘s pioneer Rube Foster are voted to the Hall Of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Johnny Mize hit .312 with 359 HRs during a 15-year MLB career, with St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and Yankees. While Rube Foster served as a pitcher, manager, and Negro League organizer in the 1st quarter of the 20th century.

1990 - Former Yankees reserve INF Ray Shalk (1932) passed away. Ray Shalk appeared in 3 games for the 1932 Yankees, hitting .250. Later he became a minor league manager.

2001 - The New York Yankees formally announced the signing of Cuban defector 3B Andy Morales, to a four-year contract. Morales will wash out and be waived from his minor league team by July. The New York Yankees will try and sidestep his player contract with proof that his listed age of 26 years is really 29.

2002 -The New York Yankees released OF Ruben Rivera for stealing Derek Jeter's mitt out of his Yankee clubhouse locker, and selling it on the black market for $2,500. There are rumors that Rivera also took other memorabilia items, such as items belonging to Roger Clemens, but Clemens denies it. Ruben Rivera had been signed to a one-year contract for $1 million dollars. He was trying to make the team as extra outfielder.

March 12th

1903 - New York Highlanders, later to be called the Yankees, are officially approved to join the American League.

1937 - Former Yankees 1B Ray ” Buddy” Barker (1965-1967) was born. On May 10, 1965, Buddy Barker was traded by the Cleveland Indians to the New York Yankees for reserve INF Pedro Gonzalez. Buddy hit .172 in 176 games, before being sent to the Baltimore Orioles in the Steve Barber trade during the 1967 American League season.

1939 - Former Yankees DH/Outfielder Johnny Callison (1972-1973) was born (1939-2006). The New York Yankees acquired veteran MLB outfielder Johnny Callison from the Chicago Cubs for cash. He hit .258 in 72 games in 1972. In 1973, he hit only .176 in 45 games before being released by the team. In 1964, Johnny hit the game hitting homerun at the 1964 All Star game at Shea Stadium for the National League squad. He was a member of the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies.

1943 - Former Yankees DH/OF Jim “Toy Canon” Wynn (1977) was born. The former National League slugger, Jim Wynn hit .143 in 30 games for the 1977 Yankees, before being released by the team.

1954 - Current Yankees MLB Pitching Coach and former MLB Manager (1998-2001) Larry Rothschild was born. Larry Rothschild pitched in the minors for 11 seasons. He made 7 MLB appearances with the Detroit Tigers in 1981 and 1982. All of his appearances occurred in September call-ups. In 1981, 4 of the 5 games that he appeared in were against the Cleveland Indians. After his playing career ended, he was a roving instructor for the Cincinnati Reds (1986-1989) before becoming the Reds MLB Bullpen coach for 2 years (1990-1991) and then MLB pitching coach for another two seasons (1992-1993). After spending the 1994 season as a minor league roving pitching instructor for the Atlanta Braves, Larry was back in the MLB, as a pitching coach for the Florida Marlins from 1995-1997. He became the 1st manager of the AL expansion team Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998 and remained with the club until 2001. In 2002, he became the Chicago Cubs pitching coach and stayed there through the 2010 season. In 2011, Larry Rothschild took over as MLB pitching coach for the New York Yankees.

1955 - Former Yankees OF Ruppert Jones (1981) was born. After being obtained from the Seattle Mariners, Ruppert Jones played in 83 games for the New York Yankees, just hitting .223, before being sent to the San Diego Padres for OF Jerry Mumphrey.

1962 - Former Yankees OF/DH Darryl Strawberry (1995-1999) was born. Darryl Strawberry hit .243 with 41 HRs and 114 RBIs in 242 games for the New York Yankees.

1971 - Former Yankees OF Raul Mondesi (2002-2003) was born. On July 1, 2002, Raul Mondesi was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Yankees for minor league player Scott Wiggins. Raul hit .249 in 169 games for the team before being traded. On July 29,2003, Raul was traded by the Yankees along with cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF David Dellucci, P Bret Prinz, and minor league player John Prowl.

1971 - Former Yankees minor league P Greg Hansell was born. On March 24, 2003, Greg Hansell was signed as a MLB free agent by the Yankees. Greg spent the 2003 baseball season at Columbus (AAA). On October 15, 2003, the Yankees granted him MLB free agency.

1974 - Former Yankees P Craig Dingman (2000) was born. On June 3, 1993, Craig Dingman was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round of the 1993 MLB amateur player draft. Craig appeared in 10 games with no record for the 2000 Yankees. On March 30,2001, Craig was traded by the Yankees to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later. The Rockies sent P Jorge De Paula on April 20, 2001 to the Yankees to complete the trade. On June 6,2002, Craig was sent to the Yankees by the Cincinnati Reds, as part of a conditional deal. Craig does not appear with the 2002 Yankees at the MBL level, he becomes a MLB free agent.

1974 - Former Yankees reserve INF Felix Escalona (2004-2005) was born. Felix Escalona appeared in 15 games for the Yankees, hitting just .182.

1974 - Former Yankees RF Bobby Abreu (2006-2008) was born. On July 30, 2006, Bobby Abreu was traded by the Philadelphia Phillies along with P Cory Lidle to the New York Yankees for P Matt Smith, and minor league players INF C. J. Henry, Carlos Monastrios, and Jesus Sanchez. Bobby hit .303 in 372 games for the Yankees, before leaving the team for free agency during the winter of 2008. The California Angels signed him for the 2009 AL season.

1978 - Former Yankees reserve OF Kevin Reese (2005-2006) was born. On December 18,2001, Kevin Reese was traded by the San Diego Padres to the New York Yankees for INF Bernie Castro. He appeared in 12 games for the Yankees hitting .385, before being released by the team in 2007.

1978 - Former Yankees OF Gene Moore (1942) passed away. On February 5, 1942, the Boston Braves sent OF Gene Moore to the New York Yankees to complete an earlier deal made on December 9,1941. On December 9,1941, the Boston Braves sent players to be named later to the New York Yankees for minor league OF Tommy Holmes. On February 24,1942, Gene Moore was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers from the New York Yankees.